Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

North Korea: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of BBC reports that North Korean teenagers have been sentenced to hard labour for viewing K-drama, when they last raised violations of human rights directly with the North Korean Ambassador to the UK and the North Korean regime, and what response they received.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned about the appalling human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the many reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations in the country, including the recent report by the BBC. The UK regularly raises our concerns about the DPRK's dire human rights record through its embassy in London and we remain committed to using all bilateral and multilateral channels to hold the DPRK to account, and urge the DPRK to address its human rights record to bring about permanent change and improvements for the people of North Korea.

Zimbabwe: Commonwealth

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to any proposals for Zimbabwe to be readmitted as a member of the Commonwealth.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The decision on whether Zimbabwe re-joins the Commonwealth is for all Commonwealth members. The UK will review all final election observation reports, as well as the Secretary-General's report on membership readiness, before making any further assessment of Zimbabwe's readiness for readmission to the Commonwealth.

Evan Gershkovich and Press Freedom

Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had about securing the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and what steps they are taking to promote media freedom globally.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have called for Evan Gershkovich's immediate release. Senior UK officials regularly raise his case with Russian counterparts. The UK also remains in close contact with the US, which is providing consular support. The UK has condemned the Russian state's systematic repression of media freedom in various fora, including the UN Human Rights Council, General Assembly and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). As a co-founder of the Media Freedom Coalition, the UK is committed to media freedom and holding to account those who violate or restrict it. Fifty coalition countries work together to promote and protect media freedom globally.

North Korea: Conflict Prevention

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether a recent Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability assessment has been made for North Korea; and if so, what plans they have to place a copy of this assessment in the Library of the House.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We regularly review the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The UK is committed to securing peace and we are clear that North Korea's nuclear and weapons programmes must be dismantled to ensure stability in the region. The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) issues an annual report covering threats to conflict and stability worldwide. Further reports and assessments of a specific nature are released on a case by case basis.

North Korea: Conflict Prevention

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will raise the current escalation in North Korea at the next session of the Security Council.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK consistently condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) persistent ballistic missile testing which breaches multiple UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and threatens regional peace and stability. The UK joined partners in calling for UNSC consultations on 18 January, where Ambassador James Kariuki condemned the DPRK's violation of UNSC resolutions and complete disregard for the international non-proliferation regime. We will continue to call out the DPRK's illegal actions until it returns to full adherence to its international obligations.

Home Office

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 20 December 2023 (HL1278), on what basis the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) marked its reportInteraction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 "in confidence" and did not publish it, given that the working protocol between the Home Secretary and the ACMD states that "The ACMD will publish its advice concurrent with its presentation to Ministers,unless there are pressing public or health protection reasons, or other reasons,for not doing so."

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As the ACMD is an independent Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), sponsored by the Home Office, the basis for publication of its reports is a matter for the ACMD.

Home Office: Written Questions

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 20 December 2023 (HL1279), whether they will now answer the question put; namely,what steps they are taking to inform parliamentarians about the two reports cited in the original question.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As set out by the response to Written Answer HL767 and HL1279, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) marked the document titled “Interaction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016” “in confidence”. The Government has no plans to publish the document. The current Working Protocol between the Home Secretary and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, referred to in the response to question HL1279 is available on gov.uk at the following link: Working Protocol between the Home Secretary and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Cycling

Lord Hogan-Howe: To ask His Majesty's Government what data or survey information the Department for Transport holds on (1) pedal cyclists breaching road traffic regulations, and (2) near misses or injuries caused by cyclists to pedestrians.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office collects and publishes data on Fixed Penalty Notices and other outcomes for motoring offences as part of the “Police Powers and Procedures: Other PACE powers” statistical bulletin. The most recent data, for 2021, are available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118166/fixed-penalty-notices-and-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-and-procedures-year-ending-31-december-2021.odsThe Home Office collects data through a national fixed penalty processing system (PentiP), which includes some information on offences of pedal cyclists breaching road traffic collections. However, these data are not routinely published within the motoring offences statistics and are therefore not quality assured. Additionally, data are not collected on whether there were near misses or injuries sustained during an incident.The Home Office has also been informed by the Department for Transport that they do not hold data regarding either part of the question.fixed penalty notices and other motoring offences  (xlsx, 11151.5KB)

Home Office: Standards

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the efficacy of the Home Office.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The efficacy of the Home Office is regularly assured through a number of accountability mechanisms. These include Home Office questions and the Home Affairs Select Committee in Parliament.The annual report and accounts provide a financial and narrative summary of the activities of the Department.They are published yearly on gov.uk, offering a review of the Home Office's vision and priorities for the year, and are subject to review by the National Audit Office. The latest one to be published covers 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

Cabinet Office

Immigration: Overseas Students

Lord Tyrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were foreign students.

Lord Tyrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were dependents of foreign students.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. The Rt Hon. the Lord TyrieHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 24 January 2024 Dear Lord Tyrie, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were foreign students (HL1764); and what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were dependents of foreign students (HL1765).Your questions can be answered by using data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These data can be found in our year ending June 2023 edition of our Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional dataset [1]. This includes data up to June 2023. Specifically, for long term migration [2] by reason, including study visas, please see table 3 of the aforementioned dataset. Please note that the estimates within the dataset are still provisional.For the year ending December 2022, estimates for both students and dependants are available for non-EU migrants. We do not currently have comparable figures for EU and British nationals.For the year ending December 2022, total immigration was 1,234,000, of which 1,030,000 were non-EU migrants. For the year ending December 2022, 315,000 students immigrated long-term, 31% of all non-EU migrants. In addition, 93,000 student dependants immigrated long-term, 9% of all non-EU migrants. For the year ending December 2022, total emigration of all nationalities was 489,000 and emigration of non-EU migrants was 157,000. 72,000 were non-EU migrants who initially arrived on a study visa leaving (46% of all non-EU emigrants) and a further 12,000 were non-EU migrants who initially arrived on a study dependant visa leaving (8%). To calculate net migration for students and their dependents, we take the number of individuals who emigrated – who initially arrived in the UK on a study visa (or study-dependant visa) – away from the number of individuals who immigrated on a study visa (or study-dependant visa). This comes with some caveats. It compares immigration to emigration within the same period, so the migrants counted are a summary of both past and current behaviours at a fixed point in time. Individuals counted as an emigrant in this method could have transitioned to a different visa type during their time in the UK. This means that this measure could present a distorted view of the true causes for migration, for example where someone studies and then works. For the year ending December 2022, net migration of non-EU migrants was 873,000. 243,000 was net migration for study visas, 28% of all non-EU net migration and 82,000 were study dependants, 9% of all non-EU net migration. Figures used to answer your questions in this response have been included in Table 1.Table 1: Immigration, Emigration and Net Migration for year ending December 2022Year ending Dec 2022All nationalitiesAll Non-EU migrantsNon-EU StudentsNon-EU Student dependantsImmigration1,234,0001,030,000315,00093,000Emigration489,000157,00072,00012,000Net migration745,000873,000243,00082,000 The most up to date information is from year ending December 2023. This has been provided in Table 2 in case helpful. Table 2: Immigration, Emigration and Net Migration for year ending June 2023Year ending June 2023All nationalitiesAll Non-EU migrantsNon-EU StudentsNon-EU Student dependantsImmigration1,180,000968,000282,00096,000Emigration508,000200,00088,00027,000Net migration672,000768,000194,00069,000 Because of the increases seen in the immigration of students in the recent time periods, we would expect emigration to continue to rise as those students come to the end of their studies. However, research in our Reason for international migration, international students update: November 2023 article [3] suggests that more recent cohorts of students are staying in the UK for longer. We will continue to monitor this trend to see how it evolves over time.When accessing any of our files, you may find it helpful to read the 'notes, terms and conditions' contained within them.Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/longterminternationalimmigrationemigrationandnetmigrationflowsprovisional[2] We continue to use the UN definition of a long-term migrant: a person who moves to a country other than that of their usual residence for at least a year. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2022#glossary[3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/articles/reasonforinternationalmigrationinternationalstudentsupdate/november2023 UK Statistics Authority  (pdf, 164.9KB)

Public Sector: Procurement

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 11 December (HL589) where they stated that "before laying the National Procurement Policy Statement in Parliament a Minister of the Crown must carry out such consultation as the Minister considers appropriate", how they intend to consult relevant stakeholders, such as providers of goods and services, prior to laying that statement.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Cabinet Office will develop and deliver its approach to consultation in line with the requirements in Section 13 of the Procurement Act.

Cybersecurity

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to reports thatspending on overseas cyber security programmes doubled last year, what assessment they have made of the impact of that increased spending on the cyber safety of (1) citizens, and (2) businesses.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Programming on cyber security plays an important role in protecting commercial opportunities and sustaining UK competitiveness in a key growth sector as well as helping organisations and citizens better manage cyber risks. The Financial Year 2022/23 Annual Report on the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund highlighted increased spending and the transfer of a wide range of skills overseas to support UK cyber security objectives. This included public awareness campaigns and training with national Computer Security Incident Response Teams, ensuring critical assets overseas are better protected from cyber-attacks. As a result, UK Government-funded projects have led to the arrest of cyber criminals across Africa, improved threat intelligence sharing in the Indo Pacific, and supported the implementation of a new national Cyber strategy in Georgia.

Department for Business and Trade

Accountancy: Software

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that accounting software used in the UK is free of flaws and defects, such as those experienced with the Horizon system.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: Like business software in general, accounting software is not directly regulated in the UK. The directors of a UK company must prepare accounts that give a true and fair view of its assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. This builds on requirements that the company keeps adequate records for preparation of accounts. It is for the company to ensure software supporting these requirements does not cause them to fail to be met. Where accounting software is not fit for purpose, a company may have contractual remedies for breach of quality by the supplier, depending on the contract terms.

Recovery Loan Scheme

Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the Recovery Loan Scheme which is due to expire in June; and if so, when this will be announced, and when it will be extended until.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: As at 30 June 2023, businesses had drawn more than 20,000 facilities, totalling more than £4.34bn, through the Recovery Loan Scheme.We are consulting with lenders and business representative organisations on how best to continue to support businesses, including on the role of a government-backed loan guarantee scheme. Any such scheme would be announced in Parliament in due course.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Combined Authorities: Audit

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the auditing arrangements for combined authorities.

Baroness Penn: All combined authorities are legally required to have an audit committee. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, and the Combined Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Access to Information Audit Committees) Order 2017, set the requirements for audit committees in combined authorities. These arrangements ensure that there is independent assurance of combined authorities governance, internal control and risk management arrangements, as well as the statutory financial reporting process.Separately, combined authorities, in line with the requirements on all local authorities, are required to publish audited annual financial accounts. Combined authorities are not immune to the cross-system challenges currently facing the local audit market. The government working with system partners has developed proposals to tackle the exceptional circumstance of the current backlog and ensure a return to timely delivery of high-quality financial reporting and external audit in local bodies. We will consult on these imminently.

Treasury

Taxation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the feasibility of cutting taxes in the upcoming budget, further to the report, Public sector finances, UK: December 2023, published by the Office for National Statistics on 23 January, and having regard to the overall stability of the economy.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is committed to sustainable public finances and has taken responsible decisions to keep debt falling and borrowing at a sustainable level.Autumn Statement 2023 confirmed that inflation has been halved and underlying debt is forecast to fall. The Chancellor is now delivering on his commitment to cut taxes – making full expensing permanent so businesses can invest for less. In addition, the Chancellor’s reforms to NICs will cut taxes for 29 million working people. These reforms will grow the economy, and make the tax system simpler for businesses and individuals. The Chancellor announced in December that he has commissioned the Office for Budget Responsibility to prepare an updated economic and fiscal forecast to be presented to Parliament alongside his Spring Budget on 6 March 2024.

Revenue and Customs: Criminal Investigation

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 January (HL1443), inwhat circumstances His Majesty's Revenue and Customs would seek account details from banks for specified categories of tax payers beyond individuals already suspected of fraud.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) can ask for bank account details when reasonably required by the officer for the purpose of checking the taxpayer’s tax position, or for the purpose of collecting a tax debt of the taxpayer, as set out in Schedule 36 Finance Act 2008 information and inspection powers. They also have data-gathering powers that enable them to collect data from certain third parties to use in compliance activities and that includes requesting from financial institutions information relating to accounts of recipients of bank and building society interest, as detailed in Schedule 23 Finance Act 2011. Operationally, when investigating, HMRC work on a case-by-case basis after identifying where tax is most at risk of not being paid, and design tailored, targeted and proportionate interventions to address it. They may need specific information to check a person's tax position where it may be incorrect, whether this inaccuracy was deliberate or erroneous. The vast majority of people co-operate with requests for such information and this collaborative approach enables HMRC to check the person's tax position quickly and effectively. Where this does not happen, they may use their legal powers to obtain the information directly from financial institutions.

Tax Evasion: Prosecutions

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people and corporate bodies have been investigated, charged, and prosecuted for facilitating tax evasion under the Criminal Finances Act 2017, and what the outcomes of these investigation and enforcement activities have been in each case.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Criminal Finances Act 2017 came into effect on 30 September 2017 and are new offences applicable to organisations that fail to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion from that date onwards. Updates on the number of HMRC interventions are provided bi-annually on Gov.UK pages Number of live Corporate Criminal Offences investigations - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) The Criminal Finances Act 2017 is specific legislation in relation to corporates and not individuals, so the element of the question pertaining to individuals is not applicable and no information can be provided in that respect. However, as per a previous PQ HL6278 asked on 8th March 2023, tackling enablers of tax fraud remains a top priority for HMRC. HMRC is working with partners across the world to take action against enablers.

Ministry of Defence

Yemen: Military Intervention

Lord Jopling: To ask His Majesty's Government which military assets, such as airports, the government of Saudi Arabia has made available to other members of the NATO Alliance currently mounting operations against the Houthi.

The Earl of Minto: His Majesty's Government can confirm that Saudi Arabia have not made any military assets available to any NATO members in any operations against the Houthis.

NATO: Expenditure

Lord Jopling: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of gross domestic product each member of the NATO Alliance spends on defence.

The Earl of Minto: NATO allies' defence spending data, including as a percentage of GDP, is published on the NATO website. The latest figures are from July 2023 and are due to be updated in February 2024.

Department of Health and Social Care

Breast Cancer: Screening

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1800), why the improvement plan for the NHS breast screening programme is not set to be published.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1798), why there are no timescales for reaching the achievable target of 80 per cent for breast cancer screening.

Lord Markham: NHS England has developed an internal national plan in collaboration with key stakeholders to improve uptake within the breast screening programme from 2023 and beyond. This plan will encompass a series of evaluative projects which are expected to report by April 2024 There is currently no intention of publishing the internal plan, but it is available on the NHS Futures Platform. This is a collaboration platform that empowers everyone working in health and social care to safely connect, share and learn across boundaries. NHS England and the Department are working in collaboration to establish a set of improvement objectives. Rather than a timescale for reaching the target of 80%, each region has a local improvement plan and are working to reach the agreed efficiency standard following restoration of services post COVID-19 pandemic. It was agreed that a quantified focus on reducing variation was preferable to setting timescales.

Audiology: Paediatrics

Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government how manypaediatric audiology departments in England meet the 42-day waiting list target for an initial hearing assessment for babies and children.

Lord Markham: National Diagnostic Waiting Times data is published monthly by NHS England. The latest data for November 2023, combining both adult and paediatric services, shows that 37% of patients are waiting more than six weeks for audiology assessment.

Cancer: Research

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government why, of the G7 nations, only the UK is represented by a charity and not a government agency in the G7 Cancer initiative.

Lord Markham: The G7 Cancer Alliance is an initiative of the French National Cancer Institute, not a formal initiative of the G7 forum. As such it is made up of governmental and non-governmental organisations from G7 countries, with Cancer Research UK representing the United Kingdom. The Department works closely with research funding partners, such as Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), that fund research on new scientific discoveries. The Government works together with international partners in various fora to tackle some of the biggest health challenges of our time, including cancer. The Department recognises the importance of international cooperation on health research and has recently launched the Cancer Research Transatlantic Development and Skills Enhancement award through the NIHR, and in cooperation with the Medical Research Council and the United States National Cancer Institute. Overall, NIHR expenditure on cancer research was nearly £122 million in 2022/23, the biggest funding allocation for any single disease area.

Contraceptives: Taxation

Baroness Northover: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth: summary of the heads of agreement, published on 20 November 2023, what assessment they have made of any potential detrimental impact on women's health if thetax on the contraceptive implant Nexplanon is increased to 35 per cent.

Lord Markham: The 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth (VPAG) introduces a new way of controlling the cost of older medicines that is explicitly pro-innovation and pro-competition. We do not anticipate this resulting in a detrimental impact on women's health or, given the available mitigations, on the supply of medicines.Medicines for women’s health will be subject to the VPAG in the same way that all other medicines are. They will be subject to the top up payment percentage only when they have not seen a sufficient price decline since the active substance lost market exclusivity.In exceptional circumstances, where a product would otherwise be uneconomic to supply, companies can apply to the Department for a price increase or for an adjustment to the top up payment percentage that applies.

Audiology: Paediatrics

Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government how manypaediatric audiology departments there are in England in total; and how many of those currently meet the UK Accreditation Services Improving Quality in Physiological Services Accreditation standards.

Lord Markham: There are 134 paediatric audiology services nationally and of those, approximately 20% are accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service for Improving Quality in Physiological Services. NHS England has a dedicated programme of work that will support the increase of accreditation for audiology services nationally.

Audiology: Paediatrics

Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made by NHS England’s National Paediatric Hearing Improvement Programme; and what findings it has found following its review of data for newborn babies in England.

Lord Markham: The Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme is focussed on delivering several strategic interventions over a short, medium and long-term period. Some of the key areas of focus include: supporting the audiology workforce with training and education,; supporting services to achieve accreditation with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS); and supporting paediatric audiology services regarding review of patient records, including ensuring that children identified as requiring reassessment are prioritised.NHS England’s Newborn Hearing Screening Programme investigation indicated areas for improvement in:- the quality of practice;- workforce training and education;- data, results and report management;- quality assurance;- the peer review process; and- UKAS Improving Quality in Physiological Services accreditation.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Senedd Cymru

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister last visited Senedd Cymru, and on how many occasions during 2023 he had discussions in person with the First Minister of Wales.

Baroness Swinburne: The Prime Minister visits all parts of the United Kingdom regularly. Details of official visits can be found on the gov.uk website as part of the government’s transparency agenda. The Prime Minister also undertakes party political visits across the United Kingdom. The Secretary of State for Wales, the Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and the Prime Minister undertake constructive engagement with the Welsh Government and the Senedd Cymru, with relevant meetings as appropriate. Details of future official visits will be announced in the usual way.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Life Sciences: Respiratory Diseases

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how they are measuring progress on the respiratory mission, announced as part of the 2021 Life Sciences Vision, and (2) what progress has been made

Viscount Camrose: The Government has engaged with stakeholders to define and develop the scope of work to be undertaken under the Respiratory Mission. Meanwhile, the Government has committed funding to support respiratory research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council. This investment is aligned to the aims and ambitions of the proposed Respiratory Mission, outlined in the Life Science Vision, to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with respiratory disease.

Life Sciences: Respiratory Diseases

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will (1) appoint a chair to lead the respiratory mission within the Life Sciences Vision, and (2) provide funding to enable the delivery of the respiratory mission as it has done in the case of the cancer, obesity and mental health missions.

Viscount Camrose: The Government has engaged with stakeholders to define and develop the scope of work to be undertaken under the Respiratory Mission, which aims to reduce the mortality and morbidity from respiratory disease in the UK and globally. At this point a chair of the Respiratory Mission has not been appointed.

Life Sciences: Health Services

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish detailed implementation plans, covering those health missions within the Life Sciences Vision, as undertaken at its launch in July 2021.

Viscount Camrose: Four of the healthcare Missions published in the 2021 Life Sciences Vision: Dementia, Cancer, Obesity and Mental Health, as well as the Addiction Mission (announced as part of the 2021 Drugs Plan, ‘From harm to hope’) have recruited Chairs, have comprehensive delivery plans and objectives, and are beginning to make substantial investments to operationalise these. Progress on the delivery of the Missions, and the related investments, have and will continue to be made available online at a regular cadence.